Genre 5: Historical Fiction

Catherine, Called Birdy

by Karen Cushman

Bibliography

Cushman, Karen. 1994. Catherine, Called Birdy. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN 0064405842

Plot Summary

This book documents a year in the life of a fourteen year old girl, Catherine, called Birdy, in the year 1290. Birdy is a mischievous and clever young girl who is trying to escape her fate—marriage to the richest bidder. As we follow her tale through individual diary entries, we learn a lot about the day-to-day goings on in a medieval manor house. Birdy has a relatively privileged life, but finds the injustice in the expectation that she look and act like a lady, and especially the expectation that she gratefully marry whatever suitor her father deems appropriate.

Critical Analysis

Cushman’s storytelling, in the form of diary entries, is clever, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Her descriptions of life around the manor and of the less than desirable suitors that try their luck with Birdy (and her father) are hilarious. Cushman somehow manages to find similarities between life in both the medieval and modern world for a young teenage girl, and these similarities make the book that much more compelling, as readers imagine their young adulthood as  Birdy’s is.

Tales of yarn spinning, embroidery, minstrels, and privies provide authenticity. At the same time, Birdy’s short, curt entries of dismay and disgust, many teetering on sarcasm, will resonate with young readers’ own parental frustrations.

An extensive author’s note offers information about life in medieval England. Brief descriptions of feudalism, daily life, and thinking might just whet the appetite for further research of this period.

Review Excerpt(s)

• ALA Notable Children’s Book 1995
• Newbery Honor Book 1995
• KIRKUS REVIEWS starred review: “The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers…”
• PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: “…witty and wise…”
• BOOKLIST review: “…diary format helps portray the tedium of life in the Middle Ages…”

Connections

• Use in discussions of medieval history, and the organization of the feudal system in medieval Europe.
• Use as part of a comparison of the role of young girls in society through different eras.
• Other Cushman novels: The Midwife’s Apprentice ISBN 0547722176; The Ballad of Lucy Whipple ISBN 0064406849

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jacqueline Kelly

Bibliography

Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. New York, NY: Henry Holt. ISBN 9780312659301

Plot Summary

Calpurnia Tate, or “Callie Vee,” is an eleven year old girl growing up in a small Texas town at the turn of the 20th century. The story follows Callie Vee through her many adventures as a young naturalist, exploring and cataloguing her finds with her grandfather during the summer of 1899. While documenting her adventures, the story also brings to light the issues young Callie Vee faces as a girl in the late nineteenth century, including the expectations her parents have for her, as well as how she handles being the only girl, with seven brothers.

Critical Analysis

Kelly’s story-telling is incredible. This book is a fun read from the start, and the historical aspects of the book are so well blended with the story-telling, you hardly notice you are reading about history. For Central Texans who might or might not be familiar with some of the local history, it is an especially interesting read.

In this coming-of-age story Callie Vee’s character is extremely well developed. We witness her struggles against what her family and societal norms have planned for her. The ever clever Callie Vee, though, outsmarts on nearly every page. When told she cannot cut her hair she devises a plan. “Every week I would cut off an inch of hair—just one stealthy inch—so that Mother wouldn’t notice.” Callie Vee’s determination commands attention with readers. They feel connected with her, and are compelled to follow her through her trials and tribulations. In fact, with a somewhat abrupt ending, readers might be left wondering what becomes of her. 

With a fresh approach to the coming-of-age story, Kelly creates a novel and character readers will cheer for.

Review Excerpt(s)

• Newbery Honor Book 2010
• ALA Notable Children’s Books 2010
• HORN BOOK starred review: “Without anachronism, Kelly has created a spirited young woman who's refreshingly ahead of her time.”
• KIRKUS REVIEWS starred review: “Readers will finish this witty, deftly crafted debut novel rooting for "Callie Vee" and wishing they knew what kind of adult she would become.”

 Connections

• Use to discuss Texas History and discuss change over time, comparing the lives of young girls at the turn of the twentieth century to those of young girls at the twenty first century.
• Use during a discussion of societal female roles.
• Use during a unit on evolution, species adaptations, and/or Charles Darwin or other naturalists.

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gatnos

Bibliography

Gantos, Jack. 2011. Dead End in Norvelt. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 9780374379933

Plot Summary

Avid reader of adventure books and history lover, almost twelve year old Jack spends the summer of 1962 grounded. Seeking refuge from his "prison" bedroom, he agrees to assist his elderly neighbor type obituaries for the town newspaper. Jack is soon taken on adventures through the town, its history, and possibly even murder.

Critical Analysis

Gantos manages to write a story filled with obituaries, local and global history, arthritis, and murder blending them seamlessly. Taking place in Norvelt, Pennsylvania during the summer of 1962, Gantos intertwines events and attitudes of the day with the storyline. “Yep, we need a bomb shelter. The Russian Commies say they are planning to bury us, but I’ve got news for them—we are going to survive whatever atom bomb attack they throw our way.”

Layered with historical facts and anecdotes, Gantos weaves the local history Jack is learning (and experiencing) with that of the U.S. and world. Not only giving authenticity and intrigue to the novel’s setting, but creating compelling comparisons. And history prevails as a theme of the novel, urging characters and readers alike to learn from it. Jack’s colorfully sassy neighbor and employer, Miss Volker, expresses this well. “The reason you remind yourself of the stupid stuff you've done in the past is so you don't do it again.”

With its laugh-out-loud humor, down-to-earth characters, and tales of small town life, youths and adults alike will find this book difficult to put down.

Review Excerpt(s)

• ALA Notable Children’s Books 2012
• Newbery Medal 2012
• Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction 2012
• LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION review: “Gantos fans will find this one of his best works.”
• SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “A fast-paced and witty read.”
• HORN BOOK starred review: “There's more than laugh-out-loud gothic comedy here. This is a richly layered semi-autobiographical tale, an ode to a time and place, to history and the power of reading.”

 Connections

• Use to help discuss contributions made by Eleanor Roosevelt.
• Use in discussions about Cuban Missile Crisis
• Use to discuss how past historical events relate and connect to events in the future.
• Use to discuss characterization.